COMMUNITY groups in Oswestry can now begin to apply for grant funding from a £9,000 pot raised from the proceeds of the town's hugely-popular Bonfire Night celebrations.

The event, the first in two years, was held jointly between Oswestry Town Council and the Borderland Rotary Club, with all proceeds from the night being put forward for community use.

Jonathan Jones, from the Rotary Club, thanked the town council for writing off its contribution for the evening in order to ensure the money could be used.

He said: “This year’s event was a big success with a record amount being raised.

"Thank you to everyone who came, we’ve had lots of positive comments about the display and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

"I’d like to thank the Town Council for underwriting the event so that 100 per cent of the money collected goes to the community.”

Arren Roberts, Oswestry Town Clerk, added: “We encourage applications from local groups and organisations but will prioritise funding to those based in and delivering activity in the town of Oswestry itself.

"Each application will be considered on merit; however our preference would be not to fund projects with ongoing staffing or administrative costs.

“The event is a real team effort between the town council, the Rotary Club and the community – we thought it was a success.”

Application forms are available from sandratrevor@oswestry-tc.gov.uk and the closing date for return is Friday, January 28, 2022.

Grants of up to £1,000 can be awarded but most will be £500 and under to ensure that the widest possible benefit from the overall fund is achieved.

Payments cannot be made to individuals, your organisation/group must have a bank account and you must provide evidence of that bank account.

Decisions will be made in mid-February by a joint panel and a formal presentation evening will be arranged in early March.